9/11 firefighter needs bone marrow transplant. | File photo
9/11 firefighter needs bone marrow transplant. | File photo
A New York firefighter who responded to the terrorist attacks at the twin towers on 9/11 is in need of a bone marrow donor. Brian Kevan from Engine 221 in Brooklyn is battling lymphoma and needs a transplant of stem cells to survive.
“To see if you are a match for Firefighter Brian Kevan, text FDNYBRIAN to 61474 or visit http://my.bethematch.org/FDNYBrian,” Rhonda Manus tweeted Oct. 22.
Firefighter Memorial Transport organized a drive on Oct. 23 in North Las Vegas City Hall to screen potential donors in hopes of finding a match for Kevan. Frank Pizarro created the charity to aid firefighters who suffer from 9/11-related illnesses. People who attended the drive were swabbed to see if they are a match for a potential donor. Three similar donor drives were also held in New York.
Kevan retired at age 52 in 2019 due to the illnesses that developed two decades after his heroic work amid the toxic rubble at ground zero.
“I got there after the second collapse, about a half-hour after the second collapse," Kevan told CBS New York. "You just never thought about 'Should I be here? Should I not be here? Why am I here?' You just knew you were there as a rescuer to rescue somebody, get somebody out of the pile and bring them home.”
To see if you are a match for firefighter Brian Kevan, text FDNYBRIAN to 61474 or visit Be The Match.Org.
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